Temperate forest canopies support a high diversity of insects, but in comparison to the tropics, little is known about insect spatial distribution, particularly in terms of vertical stratification. We used an aerial lift platform to sample a temperate floodplain forest canopy during two seasons. We aimed to describe patterns of aphid density and diversity in terms of vertical canopy stratification

Significant research has been devoted to the development of semiochemical repellents for mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins. Several formulations of the beetle's antiaggregation pheromone verbenone (4,6,6‐trimethylbicyclo[3.1.1]hept‐3‐en‐2‐one) are registered to protect pine trees and stands. We compared the efficacy of verbenone and Verbenone Plus for protecting individual lodgepole

As the development of the eight‐toothed spruce bark beetle Ips typographus is temperature‐dependent, climate change may encourage development of its additional generations per year and facilitate mass outbreaks further north than previously known. The aim of the study was to analyse historical changes in effective temperature sums (ETSs) and early season swarming weather for I. typographus in different

Terrestrial slugs are pervasive pests of agriculture throughout temperate regions and have the potential to disrupt the germination of seedlings, cause damage to fruiting bodies of crops, and vector plant pathogens. Tetanocera elata Fabricius (Diptera: Sciomyzidae), a widely distributed Palaearctic species, is an obligate mesoparasitoid and predator of pestiferous slugs including Deroceras reticulatum

Dendrolimus pini can be a serious defoliator of pine trees in some European countries. The monitoring of this insect is important, but no single standardized capture technique exists for monitoring purposes. A range of insect trap types (delta sticky, G‐trap, Unitrap and cross‐vane Unitrap), colours (green, red and white delta traps and yellow and green cross‐vane Unitraps) and types of capture liquid

Semi‐natural habitats are characterized by a high diversity of wildlife. However, other areas, e.g. old fields, can also play an important role in biodiversity conservation. We assessed the species richness, abundance, and diversity of wild bees (Apiformes), including species of various functional groups in two contrasting and differently managed landscape types. For this study, we selected 15 xerothermic

Eulachnus tuberculostemmatus (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is the most abundant aphid species attacking pine trees in Isfahan, Iran. Population fluctuations of this species and its natural enemies were studied on Pinus brutia var. eldarica by weekly sampling. Its fertility‐life table parameters were determined in the field in spring and summer 2016. Furthermore, effects of different temperatures (15, 20,

The host selection behaviour of the walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis , was assessed by monitoring the landing rates of the beetles with sticky sheet traps on the host and nonhost hardwood branches. Sticky sheet traps were deployed for 8 weeks from 6 June to 2 August. 2017 in the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve, Davis, CA . Branches from host northern California black walnut, Juglans hindsii

Some wild bees can persist in human‐altered habitats in the face of global wild bee decline. To date, however, little is known about why those bees can tolerate human disturbances. Here we hypothesized that wild bees living in human‐altered habitats could achieve their nesting resources and floral resources. Moreover, persistent provision of those resources could enhance their populations. The foraging

The invasive sawfly Aproceros leucopoda causes severe defoliation of various elm species and thus can be a major pest in forest stands and urban environments. The overwintering biology of A. leucopoda has not been investigated so far; therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the cold tolerance strategy and cold hardiness of hibernating A. leucopoda eonymphs. The supercooling points (SCPs)

The knowledge of natural factors that affect pest populations is essential in predicting the occurrence of pest outbreaks and in developing integrated pest management programmes. Natural enemies, climatic elements and host plants are among the most important factors affecting pest dynamics. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum ) is the second most consumed vegetable worldwide. The pea leaf miner Liriomyza

The objective of this study was to assess barcoding of environmental DNA as a method for monitoring invertebrate ecosystem service providers in soil samples. We selected 26 invertebrate ecosystem service providers that occur in New Zealand kiwifruit or apple orchards and produced mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase gene subunit I (cytochrome oxidase I) and/or 28S ribosomal DNA sequences for each. Specific

The Eastern Grass‐veneer Agriphila aeneociliella (Eversmann) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is a serious stem‐feeding pest of wheat crops that has become established in China in recent years. A better understanding of the mating strategy and reproductive performance of A. aeneociliella could improve integrated pest management programmes against this newly established species by disturbing its behaviour and

Common walnut Juglans regia L. suffered devastating damage from the white‐striped longhorn beetle Batocera horsfieldi (Hope) in southwest China, which resulted in a dramatic decrease of local walnut production. However, the control of this wood‐boring pest with traditional methods is difficult as a result of its cryptic feeding habit. We proposed that developing host‐plant resistance is a more effective

Pure forests are often seen as being more prone to damage by specialist pest insects than mixed forests, and particularly mixed forests associating host and nonhost species. We addressed the effect of tree diversity on oak colonization and defoliation by a major specialist pest, the oak processionary moth (OPM) We quantified the number of male OPM moths captured and larval defoliation in pure stands

Wild bees provide invaluable ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes such as pollination. However, in recent decades, pollinator biodiversity, especially in wild bees, is declining on a global scale, with potentially far‐reaching consequences for crop production. Thus, there is an urgent need to determine whether wild bees are present in agricultural systems, such as fruit orchards. In the present

Scots pine Pinus sylvestris was originally introduced to Iceland in the beginning of the 20th Century. Extensive plantings started in the late 1940s and, in total, 2–3 million Scots pine seedlings were planted, mainly originating from two counties in northern Norway. Part of this plant material was imported as seedlings. Pine woolly aphid Pineus pini was introduced to Iceland before 1940, most likely

Lupinus nootkatensis is an exotic plant species that has been used for large‐scale sowing all around Iceland for land reclamation of eroded surfaces protected from livestock grazing. Until the early 1990s, L. nootkatensis was free from any significant arthropod herbivory in Iceland, whereas, after 1991, many outbreaks of native insect species, primarily Ceramica pisi and Eupithecia satyrata, have been

Drought affects many agriculturally important areas, hampering the cultivation of water intensive crops such as tomatoes. Unlike processing tomatoes, deficit irrigation of fresh market tomatoes is not currently practiced. Deficit irrigation could have negative trade‐offs for yield and pest populations by changing plant nutritional values and the microenvironment. The present study compared crop response

The parasitoid wasp Ibalia leucospoides is native to the northern hemisphere and has been introduced to the southern hemisphere as a biological control agent for the invasive woodwasp Sirex noctilio. Two subspecies of the parasitoid, Ibalia leucospoides leucospoides (Palearctic distribution) and Ibalia leucospoides ensiger (Nearctic distribution), were introduced and are reported to have hybridized

Pest management of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], corn (Zea mays L.) and cotton (Gossypium spp.) agroecosystems has become a major concern in several countries of the Americas. In this review, we report an overview on geographical distribution, injury, damage and methods used to control (plant resistance mechanisms, biological control) the most important stink

The sterile insect technique is an area-wide pest control method that reduces agricultural pest populations by releasing mass-reared sterile insects, which then compete for mates with wild insects. Contemporary genetics-based technologies use insects that are homozygous for a repressible dominant lethal genetic construct rather than being sterilized by irradiation.Engineered strains of agricultural

The behaviour of predators can be an important factor in the transmission success of an insect pathogen. We studied how Calosoma sycophanta influences the interaction between its prey [Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera, Lymantriidae)] and two microsporidian pathogens [Nosema lymantriae (Microsporidia, Nosematidae) and Vairimorpha disparis (Microsporidia, Burellenidae)] infecting the prey.Using laboratory